By Patrick Campbell / Pocono Record Writer

Mount Pocono is on the hunt for a new mayor after Frederick Courtright informed borough council he would be stepping down from the role effective Sept. 30.

Courtright’s departure, while for personal reasons, marks the second resignation from a Mount Pocono official in 2018.

“He will definitely be missed, but we look forward to the person coming in and being able to work and carry on the same work,” said Claudette Williams, council president.

Courtright had informed council members prior but officially announced he would be resigning during Monday’s council meeting. Courtright was appointed to the position in 2013, after serving as a council member, and was reelected in 2017 to a four-year term.

Courtright said he is choosing to step down due to medical circumstances within his family. He added it was a difficult choice but made the decision to move to Florida with his family months ago.

“We made the decision quite some time ago. it was a question of timing as far as when it would happen,” Courtright said.

The resignation means council will have to appoint a new mayor to serve until an election can be held in the fall of 2019 to determine who will finish his term, which did not expire until 2021.

Council is currently accepting applications from those interested in serving as mayor and a vote will determine who is appointed during their Oct. 1 meeting.

As Courtright packs the last of his belongings inside of the Mount Pocono residence he and his family have called home for a decade-and-a-half, he reflected back on the journey he had as mayor.
While he said he will look back fondly on his time spent as mayor, Courtright regrets not doing more during his time to engage the younger citizens of the borough. The accomplishment he is most proud of during his time is creating better lines of communication between Mount Pocono residents and their elected officials.

“We have a lot of people who are in transition or who are commuters and those people are kind of hard to reach and they get their information, often times, through the Internet or through social media,” Courtright said. “And making sure our information flowing to those people through the means was something I really tried to plow the road on.”

Council is now accepting applications for people interested in serving as the borough’s mayor. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, have resided in Mount Pocono for at least the past year and be a registered voter. A council vote will determine who is appointed to the position.

Anybody interested in applying for the position should sent a letter of interest and their contact information via mail to Claudette Williams, Borough Council President 1361 Pocono Blvd. Mount Pocono, PA 18344.